2 Corinthians 3
1 Are we starting to speak well of ourselves again? Or do we need to have some letter of recommendation for you, or from you, as some people do?
Do we again begin to commend ourselves? or whether have we need of commendatory letters to you or from you, as some do?
2 You are our letter, written in our experience with you, that everybody reads and knows about.
You are our letter, having been written in our hearts, known and read of all men,
3 You demonstrate that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us; not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; not written on stone slabs but in our living experience as human beings.
being manifest that you are the letter of Christ, having been ministered by us, having been written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God: not in tables of stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh.
4 We have total confidence before God through Christ.
But we have such confidence through Christ towards God,
5 Not that we would consider ourselves able to do this on our own—it's God who gives us this capacity!
not that we are able of ourselves to think anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
6 He also gave us the ability to be ministers of a new agreement, based not on the letter of the law, but on the spirit. The letter of the law kills, but the spirit gives life.
who also rendered us able ministers of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter kills, but the spirit creates life.
7 However, the old way of relating to God, written in letters carved in stone, ended in death, even though it came with God's glory—so much so that the Israelites couldn't even bear to look at Moses' face because it shone so brightly, even though the glory was fading.
But if the ministry of death, having been written in letters of stone, was in glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look upon the face of Moses on account of the glory of his countenance; which was destined to be done away:
8 If that was so, shouldn't the new way of relating to God in the Spirit come with even greater glory?
how will not the ministry of the spirit be more in glory?
9 If the old way that condemns us has glory, the new way that makes us right with God has so much more glory!
For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, how much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory.
10 For the old that was once glorious has no glory at all in comparison with the incredible glory of the new.
For indeed that which was glorious, has ceased to be glorious in this respect on account of the transcendent glory.
11 If the old that is fading away had glory, the new that continues has so much more glory.
For if that which was to be done away was through glory, much more is that which abides in glory.
12 Since we have such a confident hope, we are truly bold!
Then having such hope, we use great boldness,
13 We don't have to be like Moses, who had to put on a veil to cover his face so the Israelites wouldn't be dazzled by the glory, even though it was fading away.
and not as Moses put the veil on his face, in order that the sons of Israel might not look forward to the end of that which was transitory.
14 In spite of that, they had a hard, stubborn attitude. For right up until today when the old agreement is read, the same “veil” remains. Only through Christ can it be removed.
But their minds were darkened. For until this day the same veil remains in the reading of the old covenant, remains, not lifted; because it is done away in Christ;
15 Even today, whenever the books of Moses are read, a veil covers their minds.
but until this day when Moses is read, the veil lies upon their heart:
16 But when they turn and accept the Lord, the veil is removed.
but when they may turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there's freedom.
But the Lord is a Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 So all of us, with our faces unveiled, see and reflect the glory of the Lord as in a mirror. We are being transformed into the same mirror image, whose glory grows brighter and brighter. This is what the Lord the Spirit does.
But we all, with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
